What Is Heatstroke?

Heatstroke is defined as a form of body hyperthermia where the body's temperature is drastically elevated. Other forms of hyperthermia are heat cramps and heat exhaustion. Of these three however, heatstroke is regarded as the most severe. This is largely as a result of the effects that this condition has upon its victims. Also referred to as sun stroke, this condition in medical science is defined as a situation where the body temperature hits the 40°c mark. Apart from the abnormally high body temperature the condition manifests itself with the impaired functioning of the nervous system. Heatstroke is a critical medical emergency and if unattended to could result in death. The possible causes of this condition are enumerated below:

What Are The Causes Of Heatstroke?

The causes of heatstroke are a handful. The foremost cause is attributed to dehydration. Dehydration simply defined as an absence of water in the body. It is important to note that 75% of the the water in the body is to be found in the cells. The other 25% is to be found in the body's intracellular spaces and all. When there is more water leaving this system than there is water being absorbed, then chances are high that an individual is a likely candidate of dehydration. This is of course followed by a bout of heatstroke on account of the fact that the body lacks the necessary fluid to aide in cooling it down. This is the fast cause of heat stroke.

The second cause of heat stroke is the body's inability to disperse heat for one reason or another. This failure might be attributed to many reasons. Foremost it is important to understand that one way the body deals with matters heat dispersion is via sweating. In an environment where the humidity levels are high, this function might be obstructed. This failure to sweat has the effect of causing an internal heat swell that results in the body's temperature drastically increasing and this could lead to a bout of heatstroke. The second possible scenario where the body is unable to disperse heat on account of an individual being thoroughly robed. The effect of this is that despite the body's attempt to disperse heat it ( heat ) is still retained in the system to the detriment of the individual. These are the two possible scenarios for the body failing to disperse heat - humid conditions, and extreme heat.

What Are The Symptoms Of Heatstroke?

The symptoms of heatstroke have been said to strongly mimic those of a heart attack. These symptoms do not come at once but occur in waves. It is for this reason that these symptoms are said to be progressive in nature. The symptoms of heatstroke are as follows:

A high body temperature. You must remember that this body temperature is above that of the average human temperature that stands at 37°c. In the case of heat stroke the dead give away is a body temperature that even hist the 40°c mark. This is dangerous and needs to be attended to with alacrity.

A rapid heart pulse. This is on account of the fact that the heart is racing to get some liquid that carries some amounts of oxygen. Remember one of the causes of heatstroke is dehydration. Dehydration, as stated in the article comes, betokens a lack of adequate blood oxygen on account of the fact that the body's transport fluid is depleted of this source. This immediately cause the body to go into panic mode and thus the rapid pulse and heart rate.

The absence of sweating. This is especially pronounced when the temperatures are stifling but still , the individual fails to break a sweat. When this is witnessed with the presence of flushed dry skin,, then you can be assured that the person in question is suffering from a bout of heat stroke.

Changes in the nervous system function. This is clearly manifested by erratic behavior such as confusion, agitation, hallucination, and even disorientation.

Coma. This is the extreme reaction to a case of heatstroke. When the body goes into coma mode then the immediate import is that it is shutting itself down to prevent further damage to the system or that it is in a state of collapse. These are some of the symptoms of heat stroke.

Heatstroke Home Remedies

A heat stroke requires immediate intervention if the individual in question is bound to survive, a good number of these remedies as such are first aid in nature. These remedies are as follows:

Drink Plenty of Fluids- Foremost you should ensure that the individual who is suffering from this condition is given vast amounts of liquids. This applies in a position where the individual in question is in a position to consume any liquids. The key thing here is to ensure that the body gets hydrated.

Keep Cool- Another intervention that an individual can apply is basically ensure that the individual who is suffering from heatstroke basically gets a shade of sorts. The idea of providing a shade is to ensure that the temperature of that individual is somewhat lowered. In this same vein it is also advisable to ensure that the individual in distress gets to shade off some of their clothes. The idea here is to ensure that there is a cooling effect on the individual who is under some degree of distress.

Monitor Body Temperature- One Heatstorke Home Remedy that one can try with regard to an individual who is suffering from a bout of heat stroke is to basically ensure that they continually monitor the body temperature of the individual who is under distress. Remember all you efforts should be geared towards normalizing the body's temperature towards the normal temperature ranges.

Tamarind Pulp- Tamarind pulp can be quite effective in getting rid of heat stroke. All you have to do is to boil the tamarind and separate it from the pulp. Once you have done this, you can add a little water and filter the mixture with a sieve. You can add sugar then drink up the mixture.

Try These- University of Maryland Medical center recommends that there are several herbal remedies that can be used to reduce the temperature that is caused by heat stroke before they are able to go and see a doctor. Some of the herbs that can be used to reduce the body temperature include cayenne pepper, yarrow, Chinese skullcap, elder flower and willow bark. Glonoium and belladoa can be used to also treat heat stroke in homeopathic treatment

Cumin and Coconut Milk- If there is skin inflammation due to heat stroke, the symptoms can be relieved by applying crashed cumin seeds mixed with coconut milk onto the affected area.

Try This- Boiling a raw mango and mashing the peel with a mixture of jiggery, curd, coriander, black pepper, cumin seeds and salt is an effective way of making mango milk butter drink which is effective in the treatment of stroke.

Raw Onions- In order to prevent heat stroke, an intake of raw onions three times a day will be effective.

Amla Juice- Amla juice is great for relieving dizziness if you get it during heat stroke.

Buttermilk- Buttermilk is a great way of dealing with constant thirst during the heat stroke. It is also good for treating body inflammation.

Tamarind Paste- Tamarind paste can be applied on the feet and on the hands when a person is suffering from heat stroke.

Basil, Sugar, and Water- Finally, if you are suffering from heat stroke, you can use basil leaves and sugar in a cup of water everyday to relieve the symptoms by drinking it.

Diet For Heatstroke

There are two aspects of diet when it comes to matters heat stroke. Both pre and post heat stroke management however come with the same dietary requirements. The first element in this diet is water. Plenty of water. Water is the silver bullet that deals with matters heat stroke on account of the fact that it results in either a hydrated system or it kick start re hydration. The second dietary requirement with regard to matters heat stroke are the use of energy drinks. Energy drinks contain ions that tend to energize the system and also stabilize malfunctions in the central nervous system. The last dietary requirement in a case where an individual is battling with heatstroke is glucose. The function of glucose is to ensure that the body's system is catalyzed in the vent that the individual who has been afflicted is sliding into a comma. The post recover period of a heat stroke should ideally be followed by the consumption of many fruits to basically return the body to its normal state.

Prevention Of Heatstroke

The genius of dealing with heat stroke is that it is easily preventable. Some of the things that you can do to prevent the occurrence oh heat stroke are as follows:

Foremost ensure that you are well hydrated this is especially during the heat season. Dehydration essentially exacerbate possible scenarios where you are dehydrated.

The second prevention measure that you can use to avoid being a victim of heatstroke is to ensure that you do not engage in energy taxing activities during the hot season. Every individual knows their limits. The trick is to ensure that you do not exert yourself beyond reasonable limits. Remember the bodies rate of recovery during this period is somewhat slow and the last thing that you want to do is to put pressure on it.

Thirdly, your dressing during this moment in time is of great importance. This is because the clothes that we don might inadvertently trap layers of heat in our system. The end result in all this is that you end up in a situation where you are overwhelmed with heat and the net effect of all this is that the system is overwhelmed with heat leading to heat stroke.

Fourthly , ensure that you keep cars locked when they are not in use, similarly ensure that at no time do you leave children unattended to in a hot car. This is to court disaster.

Lastly in the event that you are involved in some vigorous physical activity ensure that you get to replenish the body with plenty of energy drinks. The advantage in an energy drink is that it has plenty of electrolytes that tend to replace the ion content in the body. This is a sure fire way when it comes to dealing with matters heatstroke. If you are able to follow the above modes of prevention measures, then you can be assured that matters heat stroke will be a alien concept.